Soko – Abbotsford

Soko is a high-end Japanese restaurant hide-out in Abbotsford where you can dine and be inspired by their beautiful, delicate plating and their Scandinavian-style décor. Spoil your taste buds with traditional Japanese dishes and delicious Malaysian fusion rice bowls.

Soko is owned by two talented businessmen from Japan and Malaysia (hence the Malaysian fusion), which serves up mainly cold dishes like sashimi and sushi, plus Sinzuku ramen & craft beer.

The chefs at Soko are all trained in Japan. Their sushi chef worked in Japan for 8 years and their ramen master has worked in Japan for 10, so the quality and taste is of the highest, traditional level.

We recently visited Soko to check out their fabulous menu and fell in love with the intricate, artistic plating and relaxed, minimalist ambiance.

Our favourite item of the menu was Soko’s Kingfish Carpaccio, which comes with kingfish sashimi, radish, cucumber, and a cucumber and wasabi sorbet. It was extremely refreshing and every mouthful was full of flavour, their inclusion of the cucumber and wasabi sorbet definitely uplifted the whole dish to another level.

Another dish we enjoyed very much was their Aburi Cream Cheese Salmon, it was basically the perfect dish for lovers of salmon AND cheese. The salmon is semi-raw and the grilled yuzu cream cheese on top is the perfect complement to this gorgeous meat.

At Soko, you can find something you can’t find anywhere else – rainbow rice. All their sushi rolls can be made in both original sushi rice or in their signature rainbow rice. It looks extra delicious over just plain rice; however, the flavour of the rainbow rice is very subtle; in fact, it tastes exactly like normal sushi but in a much more colourful palette. For those who wonder how they colour the rice, it’s done in a very organic way – with plant extract, meaning it is healthier and better for your tummy.

If you are not a huge fan of sashimi or sushi, Soko also offers bowls and Teishoku set. Our favourite from the Malaysian fusion rice bowls would have to be their Hainan Chicken Rice Bento, but we also recommend, trying their Shoyu Chicken Bento, which is quite similar to Hainan Chicken but with more garlic flavour, the fried tofu that comes with this dish is the star of the show.

Next time if you are in the neighbourhood and looking for somewhere new, Soko offers not just high-quality Japanese food but also many Malaysian fusion dishes at great value prices, and in a beautiful setting best designed for sharing with friends! They are open from 11 am to 2:30 pm for lunch (lunch menu only) and 5 pm to 11 pm for dinner. If you had a big day at work, Soko is on most of the delivery services like Uber Eats and Deliveroo.